Access confidence for 2012

Access International's annual confidence survey indicates an industry expecting gradual improvements in business but still requiring a lot of hard work. Respondents to the survey came from all branches of the access industry and shared their views on what 2012 has to hold business-wise.

Manufacturers, rental companies, end users and others who work in the access industry returned an average confidence level of 62.2%.

This is the lowest since 2009 when it was 62.1% - although over the last four years it has been fairly static, at 63.6% in 2010 and 63.8 in 2011.

Manufacturers were the most confident in their business for next year followed by rental companies, with end users being the least confident.

Two thirds of rental companies were planning to buy new machines next year, with 39% intending to grow their fleet. Just over half the end users would be buying new. Used machines too featured in buying plans although with newer machines becoming less easy to find these plans might be tougher to follow through.

67% of manufacturers thought production would increase - 31% by over 10% - while 9% expected it to decrease.

Some 44% of rental companies thought rental rates would rise, but none thought they would rise more than 10% and 45% thought there would be no growth.

You can read the whole of the Confidence Survey in the November/December issue of Access International.